Right down the line: Sumona to Isernia

trans-siberian train

Join us as we head off the beaten track on the little-known Italian Trans-Siberian vintage railway. Words and photos by Valentina Nicastro   For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by rail tracks and roaring engines, so you can imagine my excitement when the search for unexplored trails and off-the-beaten-path places […]

Five classic train journeys

Trenino rosso

Read on to discover five of the best Italian rail journeys, with our round-up of train rides to remember. What’s your favourite…? Photos by iStock unless otherwise stated   1. The legendary Orient Express has graced the tracks of Europe for nearly 140 years and remains the most luxurious experience available to rail rovers seeking the […]

Making tracks, Part 6: Genoa to Levanto

Train

Two decades ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin   When I first met my Italian husband he told me […]

Making Tracks, Part 5: Milan to Genoa

Train

Two decades ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin It’s that same scene every time I leave Milan early in […]

Making Tracks, Part 4: To Turin

Train

Two decades ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin Life on the train today consists of a group of Spanish […]

Making Tracks, Part 3: to Lake Como

Train

Two decades ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin I start off in Lecco, at the southern tip of Lake […]

Making Tracks, Part 2: to Rome

Train

Twenty years ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin   “What can I get you?” the woman on the other […]

Past Italia: The Railways of Italy

Italian steam train

The development of a national rail network in Italy coincided with the unification of the country The first railway line in Italy ran (and indeed still does) between Naples and Portici in what was then the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. That opened in 1839 and the development of a pan-Italian rail network, which was […]

Making Tracks, Part 1: To Bologna

Train

Twenty years ago Rachael Martin arrived in Italy, exploring the country by rail and dreaming of rooms with a view. Twenty years, one Italian husband and two kids later, she still has the memories of those first voyages of discovery… Photos by Rachael Martin It started early one morning with a train, a train that […]

Rome by Train

Sick of flight delays, luggage allowances and departure lounges? The Italian capital is easily accessible by train from the UK – Gemma Hall took to the tracks to try it out The 7pm sleeper from Paris to Rome was running an hour late. In normal circumstances – and by that I mean on a crowded […]